Saw a barber in Austin using a straight razor on a kid's first haircut

I was at a shop on South Congress last weekend and watched a guy give a toddler his first cut with a full straight razor, no guard, just a steady hand. The dad was cool with it, saying he wanted it done 'the real way', but it made me really nervous to watch. Do you think that's pushing tradition too far or is it just skill and trust?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.eva24d ago

Honestly, is the new way always clearly safer though? A modern clipper guard can pinch skin just as easy, and I've seen way more nicks from rushed trimmers than from a careful barber with a sharp blade. That dad was right there watching, and a pro who does this all day knows their tools. Sometimes the old way is just a different kind of careful, not automatically more dangerous.

hugo_schmidt16d agoTop Commenter

My barber on Red River still uses a straight razor for clean-ups, and I've never seen a cut. It's all about the skill. Gavin_webb has a point about chasing old-school vibes, but a shaky-handed kid with electric clippers is way more jumpy. That barber's hands were probably steadier than mine holding a coffee. If the guy does it every day and the dad is right there, it's just a different kind of safe. The risk is more about a sudden head turn than the tool itself.

gavin_webb24d ago

That "real way" idea... it feels like part of this bigger push for old-school everything, even when the new way is clearly safer and easier.